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To say the least, the Canadiens’ first quarter had many highs in October, and several lows in November. They remain “in the mix” for a playoff spot to start this season. The first grade report of this season focuses on the defencemen and goalies.

Players must have played in five games to receive a grade. Our writers each voted on a scale of one to ten for a rating for each player; the average rating appears here.

Goaltenders

Jakub Dobes – Writer Vote Average: 6.0/10

Much like Dobes’ start last season when he won his first five games, this season he won his first six outings. For his efforts, the NHL named him the Third Star for the month of October, after he went undefeated with a 1.97 goals against average and a .930 save percentage. Inexplicably, Dobes was left out of the net for the next two games, and when he returned, he went on a four-game winless streak before earning another win to break that streak. Of the two netminders, I have more confidence in Dobes. Sometimes he gets himself out of position and will overslide to get back or bump his net off the moorings. He plays big in the net, has a better glove hand, and tracks the puck better than his teammate.

Stats: 11 GP, 2.88 GAA, 0.895 SV%, 7-2 record

Samuel Montembeault – Writer Vote Average: 2.2/20

What happened to Montembeault this season? This is not the same netminder who was selected to join Team Canada at the Four Nations tournament in February. This is not the same player who, after returning from that tournament, started the majority of the rest of the regular season, compiling a 12-3-4 record to help the Habs enter the postseason. Even in October, when the team overall was playing very well, Sam looked shaky in all of his games, even his wins. He often lets in seemingly easy shots from the point and seems to play small in the net. This team needs him to pick up his play if they hope to have a chance at returning to the playoffs. Musings of a call-up or trade have already begun, and that replacement would have to usurp Montembeault’s spot.

Stats: 12 GP, 3.71 GAA, 0.852 SV%, 4-5 record

Defencemen

Mike Matheson – Writer Vote Average: 8.56/10

Matheson has been Mr. Everything for Montreal to start this season. He leads all Habs players in even-strength time on the ice, and the same for shorthanded situations. When paired with Noah Dobson, they form an effective shutdown duo. Mike has worked on practically eliminating the defensive miscues that plagued him the last two seasons. With Matheson in the last season of his contract, his great play to start this season made negotiating a fair contract difficult from Montreal’s management side. However, it was announced on November 28th that both sides agreed to a five-year, $30M extension. Given his contribution to the team, this seems like a very fair dollar amount and term to give the veteran blueliner.

Stats: 21 GP, 4G, 10A, 14 Pts, 14 PIM, +12, 26 Shots, 16 Hits, 46 Blocked Shots, 22:45 ATOI

Noah Dobson – Writer Vote Average: 7.89/10

Dobson arrived in Montreal due to a big draft day trade with the New York Islanders, then immediately signed an eight-year extension that made him the highest-paid skater in Canadiens history. The right-shot defenceman has gelled well with Matheson to form a dependable shutdown duo due to their speed and mobility with the puck. Noah scored his first two-goal game against Toronto on November 22nd, in one of his best games as a Hab. Dobson led all Habs defencemen in shots on goal this quarter. His two-way game is better than expected given the alleged negative comments his last Islanders coach made about him which seemed to have affected his overall play last season. Montreal’s management paid a big price to obtain him, but the dividends are immediate and strong so far.

Stats: 21 GP, 3G, 12 A, 15 Pts, 10 PIM, +2, 38 Shots, 8 Hits, 43 Blocked Shots, 22:43 ATOI

Lane Hutson – Writer Vote Average: 7.67/10

Lane has picked up where he left off last season, leading all Montreal blueliners in points. Hutson is on pace for a somewhat better point total to start this quarter. His unique stick-handling style, coupled with his ankle-breaking skating manoeuvres, help him dominate one-on-one situations. His power play ice time was only five seconds behind Nick Suzuki’s to lead the team. When it comes to defence, this undersized blueliner anticipates the play extremely well, often breaking up a play with his stick. Lane has a dogmatic style to his defensive game, never giving up a chance to disrupt an opponent. His only handicap comes when he is defending a stationary player in front of the net, and his opponents’ size and strength work against him. The Habs use the traditional boxing-out style when defending the net, but I believe Lane would benefit from using the fronting style instead.

Stats: 21 GP, 3 G, 15 A, 18 Pts, -1, 0 PIM, 34 Shots, 12 Hits, 33 Blocked Shots, 22:48 ATOI

Kaiden Guhle – Writer Vote Average: 6.0/10

There is a sports maxim that applies well to Guhle: “the best ability is availability.” While I like Kaiden as a solid two-way defenceman, he has been injured in every NHL season of his short career. It’s impossible to count on him now, and his injuries have been more frequent since he was signed to a six-year extension in the summer of 2024. Perhaps he’s an athlete who overtrains, and his muscles are prone to these types of injuries. Maybe he needs to focus more on flexibility instead of muscle training. At this point, I would consider him a tradable piece if another team were offering up a solid second-line centre or a blue-chip prospect that projects into that role.

Stats: 5 GP, 1G, 1A, 2 Pts, 7 PIM, +1, 7 Shots, 16 Hits, 5 Blocked Shots, 19:14 ATOI

Alexandre Carrier – Writer Vote Average: 5.67/10

Carrier has struggled at times with Montreal to start this season. His defensive game is his bread and butter but sometimes he has misjudged a play to allow a scoring chance more often or give up a goal. What’s concerning is his decision-making without the puck was one of his best assets when he arrived from Nashville last season. This season, he had the worst plus/minus stat among Habs defencemen at the end of the quarter. His offence has been better though, but it’s not enough. If he weren’t one of the two right-shot defencemen on his team, he would probably start fewer games. It’s difficult to say if he’s become more comfortable in his role with Montreal or if opponents have a book on him to play him more physically.

Stats: 21 GP, 1G, 6A, 7 Pts, 8 PIM, -7, 16 Shots, 12 Hits, 50 Blocked Shots, 18:41 ATOI

Arber Xhekaj – Writer Vote Average: 5.67/10

Arber has always been an aggressive player, sometimes intimidating an opponent and oftentimes fighting one. He started off last quarter that way, and sometimes that got him called for minor penalties, which the coaches do not like to see. I understand the role of a player fighting in this game and Xhekaj is a willing participant in that role. As this quarter went on, it seemed like Arber was losing more matches than winning them. It’s possible he is playing through an injury that hampers him, and given his history with two shoulder surgeries, I hope that is not the case. The terrible 8-4 loss to Washington on November 20th was a down point to his season. Arber had no hits in this game, and no penalties against a bigger squad that out-muscled Montreal. For some reason, he appeared practically dormant and earned a minus two.

Stats: 20 GP, 0G, 1A, 1 Pts, 40 PIM, -4, 16 Shots, 31 Hits, 15 Blocked Shots, 11:39 ATOI

Jayden Struble – Writer Vote Average: 5.44/10

Struble was a healthy scratch for the first four games of this season. He returned to the lineup in game five and played every game of the rest of the first quarter. Jayden has moved between the third pairing with Arber Xhekaj and the second pairing with Lane Hutson. He seems better suited with Hutson in most games. His offensive numbers have been bumped up slightly, and on this pace, he could reach a career high in points. However, his poorest games to date have been against Dallas and Los Angeles, where bigger forwards were better able to play against him and his partner. If the coaching staff had more trust in Xhekaj, this pair should get more ice time at five-on-five against those bigger teams. Jayden stepped up his fighting game, getting into two scraps this quarter to bring more toughness to the team.

Stats: 17 GP, 0G, 4A, 4 Pts, 32 PIM, -3, 9 Shots, 33 Hits, 10 Blocked Shots, 15:06 ATOI